Worldwide Actions Call for End to U.S. Blockade in Lead Up to UN Vote
Vancouver
On the weekend of June 18-20 car caravans and
other actions were
held in 50 cities around the world as part of the
global "Bridges of
Love" project which calls for an end to the
coercive measures against Cuba and the
normalization of relations
between the United States and Cuba. Sixteen of those
cities were in the U.S.
and included Miami, Albany, Albuquerque,
Atlanta, Bloomington, Chicago, Fresno, Las Vegas,
Los Angeles,
Milwaukee, New Haven, New York City, San
Francisco, Seattle, Washington
DC and Northampton.
In
Canada, car caravans and pickets demanding an end to the blockade have
been held every month in a number of cities. This past weekend saw
caravans in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria. In
Toronto there was a demonstration at the U.S. consulate. Victoria
 
Toronto
 
Ottawa
Halifax
Some
of the other countries where actions were held were Dominican Republic,
Nicaragua, Ukraine, Uruguay, Spain, Belgium, Britain, South Africa,
China and Japan. Actions are also taking place this week and will
continue in the days ahead and into the future.
On June 20, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent a
message of thanks for
what he called "the wave of solidarity that
reached us today in
thousands of voices against the blockade from 50
cities around the world." The Cuban people
returned the embrace, he
said, sending the same message with a regatta and
bicycle ride in the
provinces of Matanzas and Holguín. 
Miami, U.S.
London, England
Ireland
Barcelona, Spain
Turin, Italy
South Africa
Medical Supplies Sent to Mitigate Blockade's Effects
on Cuba's Health System
 A
particularly cruel aspect of the U.S. blockade is that it prevents Cuba
from being able to acquire many of the essential medical supplies it
requires to address the health needs of the Cuban people, including the
need to vaccinate the population against COVID-19. The Canadian Network
on Cuba (CNC) reports that as a result of a successful fundraising
campaign it was able to send 2 million syringes to Cuba plus $30,000
for Cuba to purchase more of them. Together, the CNC and the U.S.
National Network on Cuba with its Saving Lives campaign were able to
raise enough funds for 10 million syringes, or about one third the
number that Cuba needs to innoculate its entire population against
COVID-19 with its own vaccines. (The two vaccines currently being
administered, Abdala and Soberana 2, require a total of three doses.)
Meanwhile friendship and solidarity groups in Europe and Latin America
have also been raising funds with the aim of sending enough syringes to
complete the 30 million that Cuba needs to fully vaccinate its
population.
At the same time, a vigorous campaign of the
Association of Cubans Resident in Canada has been able to ship more
syringes along with other much-needed medical supplies such as PPE,
ventilators and catheters.
This article was published in
Volume 51 Number 16 - June 22, 2021
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2021/Articles/MS51164.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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